Cool MateHe broke his leg playing football vs Hurt vs Injured
When to use each in English, with meaning, register, and examples.
He broke his leg playing football
Hurt
Injured
| He broke his leg playing football | Hurt | Injured | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | 🇬🇧 //hiː brəʊk hɪz lɛg ˈpleɪɪŋ ˈfʊtbɔːl//🇺🇸 //hi brəʊk hɪz lɛɡ ˈpleɪɪŋ ˈfʊtbɔl// | 🇬🇧 /["/hɜːt/","/hɜːts/","/ˈhɜːtɪŋ/"]/🇺🇸 /["/hɜːrt/","/hɜːrts/","/ˈhɜːrtɪŋ/"]/ | 🇬🇧 /["/ˈɪndʒəd/"]/🇺🇸 /["/ˈɪndʒərd/"]/ |
| Meaning | He hurt his leg while playing soccer. | to cause pain or damage to someone or something | hurt or harmed in some way |
| Example | He broke his leg playing football last weekend. | I accidentally hurt my knee while playing soccer. | After the accident, several people were injured and needed medical attention. |
| Register | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral |
| How common | Top 1,000 (very common) | Top 1,000 (very common) | Top 2,000 (common) |
| CEFR level | - | A2 | B1 |
| Part of speech | verb | ||
| Collocations | broke his leg, broke down, broke the news, broke a record, broke the silence | badly, seriously, actually, badly, a lot, really, be going to, begin to, badly, deeply, really, attempt to, try to, want to | be, lie, get, badly, critically, gravely |
| Antonyms | - | heal, comfort, soothe | healed, uninjured, fit |
| Common mistakes | Confused with 'break' as in pause time instead of physical damage., Used 'broken' instead of 'broke' when describing a past event., Misunderstanding 'broke' as only applicable to objects, not injuries. | Confused with 'hurted' instead of 'hurt', Using 'hurt' as a noun instead of a verb, Mixing up 'hurt' with 'harmed' in contexts where they don't mean the same | 'Injured' is often mistakenly used for emotional harm., Learners might confuse 'injured' with 'ill' which refers to sickness., Overusing 'injured' when 'hurt' could be simpler. |
| Usage notes | Use 'broke' primarily for physical damage or injury. In informal contexts, 'broke' can also mean financial loss. | Use 'hurt' when talking about physical or emotional pain. It can be used in both formal and informal contexts but avoid it in overly formal writing. Saying someone 'hurt my feelings' is common. | Use 'injured' in contexts where someone has been hurt in an accident or while playing sports. Avoid using it in overly formal writing. |
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Frequently asked questions: He broke his leg playing football vs Hurt vs Injured
What's the difference between He broke his leg playing football, Hurt, and Injured?
He broke his leg playing football: He hurt his leg while playing soccer. Hurt: to cause pain or damage to someone or something Injured: hurt or harmed in some way
Which is more advanced: He broke his leg playing football, Hurt, and Injured?
Injured is the highest level, at B1, on the CEFR scale.
Can you show an example of each?
He broke his leg playing football: He broke his leg playing football last weekend. Hurt: I accidentally hurt my knee while playing soccer. Injured: After the accident, several people were injured and needed medical attention.
Can I use He broke his leg playing football, Hurt, and Injured interchangeably?
Not always. He broke his leg playing football, Hurt, and Injured are related and overlap in some contexts, but they differ in register, how common they are, and usage, so swapping one for another can change the meaning or tone. Check the differences above before substituting.